Description
This classic Bakewell Tart features a crisp, buttery shortcrust pastry base filled with a rich almond frangipane and a layer of tangy raspberry jam. Topped with flaked almonds and a sweet icing glaze, it’s a perfect balance of textures and flavors, ideal for serving with cream or custard.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 250g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 140g cold butter, cubed
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
Filling
- 100g salted butter, softened
- 100g caster sugar
- 50g ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 3 tbsp raspberry jam
- 50g flaked almonds
Topping
- 80g icing sugar
- 1–2 tsp water (for icing)
To Serve (Optional)
- Cream or custard
Instructions
- Prepare the pastry: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/gas mark 6. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and icing sugar. Add the cold cubed butter and pulse in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix 4 tablespoons of cold water with the beaten egg yolks and drizzle into the mixture. Pulse quickly to combine. Turn out the crumbly pastry mixture onto a work surface and form into a puck. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Blind bake the tart shell: Lightly flour your surface and roll the chilled pastry out to about 25cm in diameter and to the thickness of a £1 coin. Line a 20cm fluted tart tin with the pastry, allowing the edges to overhang. Place a large piece of baking parchment over the pastry and fill with baking beans, rice, or lentils as weights. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights and bake for another 7–10 minutes until the base is evenly cooked. Trim any overhanging pastry with a serrated knife.
- Prepare and add the filling: Beat together the softened butter and caster sugar until smooth and combined. Stir in the ground almonds, almond extract, and beaten eggs, mixing for another minute to create the almond filling. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the baked pastry base, then pour the almond filling over the jam layer. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
- Bake the tart: Return the tart to the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the filling is golden and firm to the touch. Once baked, leave the tart to cool in the tin.
- Glaze and serve: Mix the icing sugar with 1–2 teaspoons of water to create a smooth glaze. Drizzle this over the cooled tart. Slice and serve with cream or custard if desired.
Notes
- For best pastry results, use very cold butter and ice-cold water to keep the dough flaky and tender.
- You can substitute the raspberry jam with other berry jams like strawberry or blackcurrant if preferred.
- If you don’t have baking beans, dried rice or lentils make perfect alternatives for blind baking.
- The tart is delicious served warm or at room temperature with cream or custard.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Bakewell tart, almond tart, British dessert, raspberry jam tart, frangipane tart, traditional tart, flaky pastry dessert
